Angel's standout episodes

I think that Angel had plenty of standout epsiodes. Easily just as many as Buffy. They perhaps just don't get as much attention because they're not as gimmicky.

Season 1: Hero, I've Got You Under My Skin, Five By Five, To Shanshu in L.A.
Season 2: Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been?, Guise Will Be Guise, Darla, The Trial, Reunion, Redefinition, Reprise, Epiphany
Season 3: Billy, Lullaby, Birthday, Waiting In The Wings, Sleep Tight
Season 4: Spin The Bottle, Apocalypse Nowish, Orpheus, Home
Season 5: Life Of The Party, Lineage, Destiny, You're Welcome, Smile Time, A Hole In The World, Not Fade Away

Label, your favourite Angel episodes are pretty much the same as mine. I agree that Angel had just as many standout brilliant episodes as its parent series; but as the show was more arc-based, they all tend to blend together more.

Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been was a phenomenal episode which I rewatched recently. The Trial in season two I enjoyed a lot too. Anything with Faith is a standout.

And, contrary to some around here, I loved Angel season 5. Interesting, because the fifth year of Buffy and Angel is probably one of my favourite seasons of both shows (but Buffy season 3 just beats its fifth season. Just)

I think Angel had more mediocre and bad episodes than Buffy did. Most of season 1 of Angel was just CSI with paranormal thrown in. Don't get me wrong, I love Angel but the only bad eps of Buffy I can think of are "Beer Bad" , "Where the wild things are", "Bad eggs" and "I robot you jane"

I think Angel had more mediocre and bad episodes than Buffy did. Most of season 1 of Angel was just CSI with paranormal thrown in. Don't get me wrong, I love Angel but the only bad eps of Buffy I can think of are "Beer Bad" , "Where the wild things are", "Bad eggs" and "I robot you jane"

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Agreed. Angel season 1 wasn't too great, it was just like a police procedural which happened to have vampires in it. It did start improving towards the end of its first year, though, with the Faith two-parter and the season finale, etc. At the time Angel season one originally aired, the consensus among the group I hung out with seemed to be 'Angel sucks'. They did bite their tongues when it started getting much better in later years.

Beer Bad is the Episode Of Which We Do Not Speak. Terrible. I think it and 'Where The Wild Things Are' were by the same writer, IIRC. The name escapes me. I think she didn't write any more episodes after that terrible pair, and I can see why!

^ Tracey Forbes, but she also wrote 'Something Blue' in Season 4 which a great one, so she's not all bad
Giles- "Stop that, I can hear the smacking!"

A lot of the first season of Angel was trying to find its feet, indeed Whedon said it really happened when they did Eternity (with the actress wanting to be immortal), and which of course is followed by the uber-awesome Five By Five, which Whedon recently cited at Comic-con as having one of his favourite moments in the whole Buffyverse with Faith and Angel's alley way fight in the rain "I'M EVIL!!!"

I will always remember the trilogy of "Apocalypse Nowish," "Habeas Corpses" and "Long Day's Journey," because the Angel Investigations gang got beat down and had their collective assi well and truly handed to them for three episodes in a row. That cemented that they were in deep doo-doo for me - for them (the team, not the show) to have such a consistent losing streak was a remarkable thing, I thought.

Plus of course the awesome fight scene in "Apocalypse Nowish," which for me remains the best fight scene in the entire Buffy-verse. I sometimes pop the disc in just to watch that.

I will always remember the trilogy of "Apocalypse Nowish," "Habeas Corpses" and "Long Day's Journey," because the Angel Investigations gang got beat down and had their collective assi well and truly handed to them for three episodes in a row. That cemented that they were in deep doo-doo for me - for them (the team, not the show) to have such a consistent losing streak was a remarkable thing, I thought.

Plus of course the awesome fight scene in "Apocalypse Nowish," which for me remains the best fight scene in the entire Buffy-verse. I sometimes pop the disc in just to watch that.

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Agreed 100%

Those episodes were so awesome. Season 4 is when the proverbial really hit the fan for Team Angel.

And Apocalypse Nowish indeed had the best fight scene in the entire Buffyverse.